TestGenie

Complete bundled product and turn-key test solution

TestGenie is a low-cost boundary-scan solution for those companies that have a genuine requirement for JTAG testing, but have difficulty absorbing the tool costs or assigning the resources required to implement the test technology into their development or production processes. TestGenie allows customers to use full-featured versions of Corelis ScanExpress products at a fraction of the cost.

Once you’ve selected boundary-scan as a practical solution, the second biggest decision is whether you want to do the test development yourself or have a third party do it. The decision should not be considered lightly as there are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Corelis understands that the traditional model of owning boundary-scan tools outright and having a resident expert to develop test procedures is not practical for a large number of companies. Those experienced in boundary-scan test know the true cost of testing does not lie in the cost of the automated test tools themselves, but rather the investment that must be made in the engineering hours to accommodate this testing capability successfully.

How much time does it take to learn the technology?

How much time does it take to learn the tools?

How much time does it take to become proficient in test procedure develompment?

How does this time affect your project budget and schedule?

What other opportunities are you missing by allocating resources to boundary-scan?

These questions along with many others must be considered before determining whether to tackle boundary-scan testing on your own or rely on the assistance of experienced professionals.

Risk Reduction

TestGenie is designed to minimize risk for companies looking to integrate boundary-scan testing into their process. The major risks of boundary-scan testing are identified below:

Cost – One thing that may not be clear is that although boundary-scan tools seem expensive, the tool cost is a small fraction of the overall cost of testing. The engineering costs required to integrate boundary-scan represent the larger bulk of the overall cost.

Experience – Similar to ICT, JTAG requires well-trained and highly experienced personnel to do well. There is no substitute for experience. Lack of experience directly corresponds to longer schedules, more required resources, and higher costs as a result.

Schedule – You are likely looking into JTAG to help solve your problems, not create new ones. To get the maximum benefit in terms of schedule and reduced time to market, boundary-scan needs to be integrated as early as possible in the design and development process. Waiting to deploy boundary-scan during test is a sure way to lengthen the schedule.

Resources – Unless you are in a 100% slack environment, there is an opportunity cost for choosing to deploy boundary-scan yourself. Do you have the manpower to take on the job and does it represent the best use of their time?

The inability to accurately forecast the ramp up time required to achieve the necessary level of engineering expertise can cause companies to cast doubts on whether boundary-scan is a worthwhile investment. TestGenie directly addresses many of the reasons that companies choose not to invest in using boundary-scan including:

Not being able to afford traditional boundary-scan tools

Having a limited budget for testing

Having limited experience with boundary-scan test

Not having resources or not willing to allocate the resources to learn boundary-scan or write test procedures

The opportunity costs are too high

Having a limited number of design projects utilizing boundary-scan devices

Uncertainty if the tools cost will ever be recovered

Boundary-scan not being a priority

Product schedules do not allow the luxury of investigating new test technologies

The technical requirements for boundary-scan seem overwhelming

Boundary-scan being perceived as a high-risk endeavor

Not willing to take the risk of failing with boundary-scan

Even with other low cost solutions, the engineering costs and overall risks associated with boundary-scan still remain, and are often even more prevalent due to less tool automation. Only Corelis’ TestGenie provides you with fully automated versions of Corelis’ ScanExpress execution tools, specifically designed to run with your unit under test (UUT). Let TestGenie do the work for you!